If you talk to old-school gamers (and we have a lot of them that write for this blog), you’ll hear lamentations about how the experience of attending Essen has changed. As the tales go, back in the day, a gamer would show up in Essen, games would be for sale with little to no prior announcement, and the quality of the games would spread via word-of-mouth. It was an adventure of discovery. People miss that.
I wouldn’t know. My first trip to Essen was in 2015. While a lot has changed since then — the last time I went in 2019 felt very different from the first time I went — even in my first couple of years there were decently detailed “previews” of what games would be available. There were a few surprises, but Essen is certainly a scripted affair in recent years. To me, that always seemed like a good thing — I like to know something about the games I’m buying.
That’s a long-winded introduction, but it is necessary for me to make a point. Today I felt that joy of discovery, the one I’ve long heard other gamers mention. Today was a ton of fun.
This is my reflection on visiting Tokyo Game Market.
Continue reading
